Second quake hits Nepal

Anto Akkara|
Catholic News Service

5/13/15

An earthquake victim is assisted outside a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, May 12. A magnitude-7.3 earthquake hit a remote mountainous region of Nepal that day, killing at least 19 people, triggering landslides and toppling buildings less than three weeks after the country was hit by its worst quake in decades.

A U.S. rescue team member walks above debris in Kathmandu, Nepal, in search for survivors after an earthquake struck May 12. The magnitude-7.3 quake hit a remote mountainous region of Nepal that day, killing at least 19 people, triggering landslides and toppling buildings less than three weeks after the country was hit by its worst quake in decades

Framed pictures are seen hanging from the wall of a home destroyed by earthquakes in Sindhupalchowk district, Nepal, May 13.

KATHMANDU, Nepal -- The second major earthquake in less than
three weeks spread renewed fears and dented the confidence of
people, said church and charity workers.

"The death and devastation may be less, but the psychological
impact is very high," Bishop Paul Simick of Nepal told
Catholic News Service May 13. "They were slowly recovering
from the shock and the trauma and (were) trying to restart
(their lives). Now they have been stunned by this
unprecedented quake."

More than 60 people, most of them trying to recover valuables
from the debris of collapsed houses and buildings, died and
more than 1,200 were injured when the magnitude-7.3 quake hit
at 12:50 p.m.

"The fear is back and everyone is worried about the future.
Many are sleeping in the open," said Bishop Simick.

Josh Niraula, former coordinator of Caritas Asia, told CNS,
"The massive quake has shattered more Nepalese minds and
hearts and has generated more fear and worry for the future."

"Those who were brave enough to come back to normal life are
now hesitant, and fear of further quakes has dented their
confidence," Niraula said.

The May 12 quake seemed to contradict seismologists' theory
that the intensity of aftershocks would decline steadily
while tremors could continue to persist after powerful
quakes. It occurred after more than 150 minor aftershocks
from the April 25 quake that killed more than 8,000 and
destroyed or damaged more than half a million homes, in
addition to commercial and other structures.

Bishop Simick also said he is getting reports of church
buildings that developed serious cracks in different parts of
Nepal.

More than two dozen staff at Caritas Nepal headquarters in
Kathmandu could be seen working outside the building May 13
after engineers said the cracks that developed May 12 had
made part of the building unsafe. The earthquake alarm in the
three-story building -- the coordinating center for more than
a dozen international Catholic charities -- buzzed twice May
13, adding to the fears.

St. Joseph's School in Gorkha, about 80 miles from Kathmandu,
developed serious cracks, and the principal's residence had
severe damage.

"It is not safe to stay in the building," Father Dennis
D'Souza, principal, told CNS. He said he was relieved the
government had postponed the reopening of schools until the
end of May.

Jesuit Father Robert Simick, parish priest in Tipling -- a
day's travel by road and three days' walk from Kathmandu --
emailed Bishop Simick to report that one of his friends who
eagerly carried out relief work to the victims of the April
25 quake "is now scared and not even able to drive his car."

"Fear is very strong," said Bhuni Bhandari, a senior staffer
at a government hospital in Lalitpur, where more than 60
people injured from the May 12 quake were taken for
treatment. "Most of them had fractures, and I was in the
hospital (working) till 10 p.m."

Bhandari is secretary of the residents' association of his
six-story apartment complex with 160 families in Nakhu, a
suburb of Lalitpur.

"Our building is strong but there are some cracks here and
there. You don't know what will happen next. So, all families
are staying here," said Bhandari, who moved to the banquet
hall next door.

Their worry was aggravated by the sight of the debris of the
five-story medical clinic that blocked the road to the
apartments and banquet. The clinic, with advance facilities
for medical tests, was closed after it developed major cracks
from the April 25 quake; it collapsed after the May 12 quake.